Life After
by The Moonstar9
Summary: [SPOILER ALERT! Takes place in Allegiant.] "Are we in the afterlife?" Tris asks. She's not sure if she should feel happy or not. Natalie shakes her head slowly. "We haven't quite arrived yet, Beatrice. This is only the second stage," her mother replies. Tris is confused. "Second stage? We aren't in the afterlife?" [Oneshot about the afterlife...]


**Life After**

**Created by: The Moonstar9**

**Original Story by: Veronica Roth**

Tris can feel the pain in all parts of her body, having no idea where the bullet hit her. Her limbs are becoming weaker and weaker each passing second, and it gets harder and harder to stay standing. Then there's another gunfire as another bullet embeds itself into her body. She bites down on her teeth hard, holding back the urge to let out a scream. But her body has become too weak to hold her upright anymore and without realizing it she's falling…falling…falling down to the floor.

_The green button!_ Caleb's voice echoes in her head. Yes, yes. That button. That big green button there. Somehow she is given the last bit of strength to slam her fist on the button as hard she can and that wipes everything out of her as her body thuds onto the floor. She lays on her side now, knowing that she's bleeding badly. She feels the crimson red liquid soaking her clothes, creating a pool around her figure. Her vision is starting to blur and obscure, she can hardly see David sitting slumped in his chair. But he isn't moving for some reason. It's like the world has stood still, leaving her alone in this moment.

Then she opens her eyes a bit wider as the silhouette of a woman steps around David. Surprised, Tris realizes that the woman is her mother. But that can't be possible. Her mother died a long time ago. The bullet wounds are still in her body though. _I guess that makes sense_, Tris thinks. Her mother shouldn't be here though. It must be the blood loss that's causing Tris to see hallucinations or some other undefined reason. This _can't_ be real.

Her mother is approaching her bleeding figure and kneels in front of her, a weak smile upon her face.

"Am I done yet?" Tris asks weakly. She doesn't recognize her voice, or if she even used her voice at all to speak to begin with.

"Yes." Her mother's eyes are blurring with tears. "And you've done so well, my dear child. You've done so well…" She touches Tris's cheek.

"But…" Tris tries to speak properly but due to the pain, it's hard to get much words out. "What about the others? Tobias and Caleb and my friends?" She remembers how strong Tobias looked when she first met him; graceful and handsome. Caleb's last words when he told her he loved her when she thought he didn't. Christina's undying friendship and strong personality. Tris can't imagine not ever seeing them again.

Natalie, her mother, gives her a sad smile. "They'll mend each other. They'll be fine," she says sincerely.

Tris nods slowly, trusting her. Natalie pulls her daughter into a warm hug and the pain has somehow become bearable to Tris that she finally permits herself to relax. Tris allows herself to fall into the comfortable, deep slumber, letting the darkness clog her vision. Everything has turned to unexpected silence. The warm arms that were once holding Tris have gone now and she feels cold and alone. Then there's a soft breeze that starts to caress her skin gently. Her eyelids part open slowly until the darkness disappears and the world opens up to a vast land. She's standing on a steep, hill with freshly green grass protruding from the earth in bright green colors. The grass extends off in endless directions, a tree and a flower here and there. Even without the sun in the sky, the whole world is brightened by a light blue hue.

Tris can feel so much power and energy radiating from the earth and surging through her entire being. She no longer feels weak from the gunshots that ended her life, no more pain. When she glances down at her body, she sees the wounds from the bullets but there is no blood. And right before her very eyes the wounds start to close up and heal in a matter of seconds. Even her clothes were sealing up finely. Amazed, Tris looks to her side at her mother who stands smiling at her.

"Are we in the afterlife?" Tris asks. She's not sure if she should feel happy or not. There isn't much here or anything to be sad about to see. She actually feels like running across these fields like the Dauntless part of her she is and never run out of energy. This is amazing.

Natalie shakes her head slowly. "We haven't quite arrived yet, Beatrice. This is only the second stage."

Tris is confused. "Second stage? We aren't in the afterlife?"

"Not yet," she says. "It was only a matter of time for you to join us and light will soon come to gather us."

"Us?" echoes Tris. She looks around to see many transparent silhouettes walking across the grasslands that she didn't notice before. So many people. So many people that aren't alive anymore. All of these people died just like her. "Who are they?"

"Other souls, my love," says her mother. "Other souls that were not yet gathered from the light…and some who chose not to pass on to the final stage."

All of these stages are baffling Tris. If they are in the second stage, then what was the first stage? Life itself? "I don't understand," she sighs.

"Come." Her mother takes her by the elbow and gently pulls her to a direction of people. The air feels cool and warm at the same time, a perfect temperature. There isn't the slightest imperfection in the grass as if it was recently mowed. Tris can hear nothing inside of her. Not her heart that should be beating because she is no longer in live anymore, no point for a heart to be pumping or to be there at all. Nothing but pure emptiness, that it feels oddly wonderful.

White clouds dance in the sky lightly, scattering across the infinite blue. Everything is peaceful and serene. Only a gentle breeze in the air that makes Tris's skin feel tingly and assuring. She can only feel positive energies radiating off of each individual, kind feelings and kind minds. She can almost feel the peacefulness in everyone and the gratitude and love and appreciation. And there may be a few sad souls here and there, but the pleasant feelings of the other happy souls wash over them.

Natalie leads Tris over to a smaller group of individuals, away from the other people who are scattered about. Tris tries to blink back tears when she sees her father standing amongst them. When he sees her, he smiles, and they don't wait to embrace each other. She holds him tightly, holding back her tears that threaten to fall. She can feel an overpowering feeling of joy and relief. She remembers seeing her father die, when he was shot multiple times. Now he's here, happy and well.

When they break away, Tris realizes that all of the other people that she didn't know are gone and there's only this one group in present. A young girl smiles at her and waves. She embraces her too.

Marlene laughs softly, wrapping her arms around her friend. "It's good to see you, Tris," she says happily.

"I'm sorry I didn't save you instead of Hector," Tris says regretfully. "Because Lynn..." Her bottom lip trembles.

Marlene pulls away, shaking her head. "No. I'm glad you saved Hector," she says. "You did the right thing." She rests her hands on Tris's shoulders. "Know that."

"Thank you for forgiving me," says Tris.

Marlene gives her hands a squeeze. "I never needed to forgive you because I never hated you for it," she says.

Tris nods her head slowly, feeling comforted again by her friend's words. She hated to have to make that decision when Marlene and Hector were on the roof about to fall to their deaths. She wanted to save them both but it was clearly impossible. Marlene was always so nice to her, even now knowing that she let her die. They didn't know each other for a long time but being here makes it feel like they've known each other for years.

Another figure catches Tris's eye but she's more hesitate to go near him. It's not the same that she didn't save Marlene. It's different knowing that she was the one who was responsible for his death, the one who killed him. She feels herself hating what she did again and starts to feel all of those horrible, familiar emotions of regret and pain. But Will shows no signs of anger toward her, instead he pulls her into a tight embrace that she reluctantly returns.

"I'm sorry," they say at the same time.

Tris breaks away first. "What are you sorry for?"

"I almost killed you and I didn't even know it," he replies.

"But I killed you..."

"It was either me or you." He shakes his head. "You didn't have a choice."

"But I _killed_ you," Tris repeats. She doesn't understand why he isn't angry with her. She put him here when he didn't have to be. She took him away from Christina. "I'm sorry, Will." She blinks back tears.

"Don't you go crying on me," says a girl with a shaved head who is suddenly standing beside him. Tris blinks in surprise at Lynn. "You didn't have a choice and that was that," she goes on.

Tris looks from the smiling faces of Will to Lynn and then starts to smile herself. "It's good to see you both," she says.

"You too, girly," says Lynn. She gives her shoulder a cordial pat. Will only nods.

"You didn't forget about me, did you?" says a voice from behind Tris.

"Al!" she gasps, knowing his voice. She turns around to see the boy that tried to throw her into the chasm back at the Dauntless headquarters. The same one who threw himself into that same chasm when she refused to forgive him after his attempted apology. Now he's here, staring at her with a somewhat guilty look on his face.

He rubs the back of his neck nervously. "I know you hate me now so...but I heard that you were coming and I had to be here for it..." he says.

"Oh...good," Tris says awkwardly. She isn't sure how to feel around him. She's not quite sure if she should forgive him or not but she can't hate him either. Tobias told her that Al was just intimidated by her and that he was weak and that's why he attempted to throw her into the chasm. Then he regretted ever doing it, so he instead threw himself into the chasm. "I'm glad you stayed," she adds.

He nods.

"And I don't forgive you," Tris says.

He nods slowly, eyes sad.

"But I don't hate you either," she says hastily, avoiding his gaze.

His eyes flicker in hope and he nods more surely this time. "Thank you for not hating me...and I'm really sorry," he says.

"I know you are," she says.

They stand in front of each other, shifting uncomfortably, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh for goodness sake, just hug already!" says Lynn, rolling her eyes.

Al stares at Tris, waiting for her to make the first move. She hesitates before pulling him into an embrace, his arms go around her reluctantly as well. It's awkward at first, different and peculiar. Then Tris begins to relax in his arms and so does he. He feels familiar now. These same arms always tossed her over his shoulder playfully. The same arms that tried to throw her over the chasm. But the same arms that are comforting her now, showing her that he is truly her friend and that he is truly sorry for what he did.

Maybe she can't forgive him but she can grow to become his friend again. She's been through so much and so as he. There's no room for regrets or anger or betrayal.

Tris can't help but let the tears fall, despite what Lynn said. She's just so happy to see all of them. She wasn't expecting to ever see them again before this. It's all too unreal and real at the same. So many emotions are twirling within her small body, nearly overwhelming her. She has to lean on her mother who is now standing next to her for balance.

Natalie takes Tris's arm, keeping her steady. "I know this is a lot to take in," she soothes. "You're welcome to sit down if you want."

"Yeah, let's go over there by that tree," Marlene suggests, pointing towards a huge tree not too far in the distance.

Tris nods and follows the others, staying close to her mother's side. That big tree must've been always there but she hadn't noticed until Marlene pointed it out. She can't quite understand what's going on though. "Mom, you said that this wasn't the afterlife," she says. "Then where are we?"

"We are where our souls go after our bodies die," she says. "A stepping point to when we are ready to pass on."

"Pass on to what? To where?"

"To the other side, my love, the final stage," Natalie explains. "Some people believe that there is no life after death and that this is where it ends, here. But others believe that there is more to us, a better future where we can start over. When we step into the light, some think that we won't go anywhere but straight back here in the grass lands. I think otherwise."

Tris blinks, staring at her mother. "Where will the light take us? What _is_ the final stage?"

"Reincarnation," Natalie breathes wistfully. "We will be reborn into another life."

Tris doesn't ask any more questions and they've reached the large tree by now. It casts a tall shadow over them all, giving them a darker shade of blue. Tris settles down next to Marlene. Marlene smiles at her. Everyone is sitting amongst each other, shoulders brushing and throwing one another smiles or playful looks.

Natalie sits next to her husband where they sit close to one another, holding each other's hands. Tris hasn't seen them make physical contact much when they were alive but here there is no factions. There isn't a factionless either. It just is. But it doesn't feel like she's dead at all. She feels like this is a dream that she'll wake up from and find herself in the bed next to Tobias.

"I don't understand why we are here if this isn't where we are supposed to be," says Tris.

Will shrugs. "No one knows for sure what's on the other side of the light. And you can't come back here once you're in."

"That's why we didn't go yet because we knew you were coming and decided to wait for you," says Marlene.

"What happens if we don't go into the light?" asks Tris. "We couldn't stay here forever if we could?"

They all look at each other because they seem unsure themselves. Then Lynn shrugs her shoulders lightly. "We fade away to nothingness."

Tris thinks that should sound frightening but she doesn't feel any fear. She's not afraid of the unknown. She's been through so much already.

"The doors are closing," says Natalie. "We'll have to embark soon."

"The light is closing?" Tris asks alarmed.

"It is." Her mother nods.

Shouldn't they be leaving then? Tris wonders. No one seems to be ready to go yet, seeing that they're all comfortable sitting amongst each other. If they aren't ready then she isn't either. She folds her legs over each other and sighs softly through her nose.

"He's here," says Lynn suddenly as she stands to her feet. She's staring off into the distance behind Tris.

Tris stands up along with the others. She turns around to see a familiar figure standing near the hill. Warm brown skin and dark eyes light up against the blue lit area. When she thought that she would never see him again, he's there standing on that hill right before her eyes.

"Uriah!" she calls.

He looks confused at first, looking around to find the source of the voice. Then he sees them and starts hurrying over. Tris meets him halfway with Marlene and Lynn following close behind her.

"Tris?" Uriah says when he reaches them. "And Marlene and Lynn?"

"Didn't expect you to show up so soon, Uriah," says Lynn. "I see they pulled the plug. Good to see you." She slaps him on the shoulder hard that he almost loses his balance.

He rubs his shoulder to ease the pain a bit.

Marlene smiles at him and says, "Hi." She looks happy to see that her lover is here but her eyes carry the slightest bit of sadness. "I wish you didn't have to come so unexpectedly."

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Uriah asks. "This isn't a dream?" He rubs his eyes with the back of his hands.

"It's real," says Tris. At least she thinks it's real. Everything still feels surreal to her.

"That's...that's..." He's blinking his eyes rapidly. "Amazing." Then he pulls Marlene first into a tight hug. Tris can see his hands quivering as he squeezes the back of Marlene's light sweater.

She rubs his back soothingly in soft, slow movements. Tris thinks she can see her eyes watering with tears. She tries not to cry herself and not to feel envious. She's not jealous of either of them but of their love for each other that's so true and clear. They have each other, even if they aren't alive anymore. And she can't have Tobias because he isn't here. Her lover is forever out of her reach.

Uriah moves to Lynn next, hugging for a lesser time than Marlene and then hesitates at Tris. He stares at her with wide and confused eyes. "How are you here?" he asks. "You can't be here. You didn't die."

Tris shakes her head. "But I did," she says. "It wasn't too long after you were put in the coma…"

"But _you're_ Tris," he insists.

Tris wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "And _you're_ Uriah," she says. But she knows what he means. She almost died several times when she was alive and she always came out strong and brave. Nothing could seem to break her. Not even that death serum could take her away and she doesn't even know how _that_ was possible. She should've died then, but she didn't. And she doesn't think she's special because of that, just a different kind of person, a rare kind maybe. But that doesn't mean she thinks anything less of her friends. She cherishes them more than anything and they are just as unique.

Uriah hugs her deeply and she hugs him back tightly. He doesn't ask her how it happened, how she died, and she's grateful for that. She doesn't want to relive the experience in any case, remembering the bullets embedding into her body and the pain she endured. She brushes the thoughts away and sinks into the hug. When they break away, Uriah smiles at her, one of his bright smiles that she never thought she'd see again. And it's like a spell that she is forced to smile back.

"What's going on here?" Uriah asks. "Where are we?"

"Here comes the fusillade of questions," says Lynn. She fills him in on what's going on nonetheless, as they all make their way back over to the tree.

"So...I can imagine a place where I want to go when I step into the light?" Uriah asks.

"I don't think that's what it does..." murmurs Will.

"But you did say we don't know what's on the other side, right?" Uriah presses.

Lynn shrugs.

"Then we can decide where to go and see what happens," says Uriah.

"There's no harm in that I guess," Marlene says. "Where do you want to go?"

Uriah is getting really excited all of a sudden. "I want to be reborn into an alien specie on a different planet. It would be cool to fly around in space in a spaceship and dodge meteorites!"

"Why would you want to do something stupid like that?" says Lynn. She rolls her eyes.

"Admit that it's cool."

"No," she says. "I prefer to be human again, but in a better life in the factions. No danger, no war, no death and a whole lot of zip lining."

"That sounds nice," says Marlene. She turns to Tris. "What about you, Tris?"

Tris thinks for a moment and everyone turns their attention toward her. Marlene smiles and then Tris feels comfortable again. "I want to live in a place where there are no factions, just peace where everyone coexists in peace. I guess you can say I want to go to a place like Lynn," Tris says.

"Except Lynn likes the factions," Al points out.

"I only like Dauntless now," says Lynn. "The other factions suck. That's why I stayed in my faction at the Choose Ceremony." She shrugs. "Besides no other factions suited me."

"Then why don't you prove you're a true Dauntless-born," says Uriah. "We'll race to that hill and back." He gestures toward the hill that they just had come from.

"Fine." She narrows her eyes at him, ready for the challenge.

"You coming, Tris?" asks Uriah.

"Yeah, okay," says Tris as she stands up. She dusts off the back of her pants. Nothing like a good run to get her blood flowing…if she still has any blood. Her body is so transparent that it's hard to believe there's anything inside of her. Maybe if she doesn't have a heart, then she doesn't have any other organs either. She can still think, therefore her brain must be there, or perhaps she has a different kind of thought process. Perchance there isn't a brain in her head at all and she's her own person. Every part of her thinks and makes decisions for her as complete or as a whole.

The trio gets into their running positions, lined up side by side.

"On your mark…" starts Will. "Get set…" The three of them tense their muscles in the few heartbeats they have. Then, "Go!"

And they take off running. Tris's legs pound rapidly against the grassy flooring, with Uriah in the lead. She never thought she could feel so alive. It's different from when she was actually alive, but now, here, she has an unlimited amount of energy surging through her veins. She enjoys the feel of the wind pushing her skin, the way her arms and legs pump simultaneously. So much energy is coursing throughout her body, giving her a lot of power. She finds herself smiling as she continues to push herself and without much effort she passes up Uriah. And maybe she caught him looking surprised, or maybe she didn't, but she didn't care. She just feels incredibly alive and real and amazing. When she reaches the hill first, she pumps her fists in the air in triumph. She's not even breathing heavily, or much at all really. She feels like she could have gone on forever.

Uriah soon slows to a stop beside her and Lynn quickly follows suit. "You've gotten fast," he huffs. "You too, Lynn, but not as fast as me."

"Please," Lynn says. "You just got lucky this time. Don't get too excited."

"Then we should go again," Tris suggests, smiling. She's eager to feel the wind on her skin and the feel of the energy expanding throughout her body once more.

"Good idea!" Lynn starts running without even waiting for them.

"Hey!" shouts Uriah as he hurries after her.

Tris quickly follows, laughing. They reach the tall tree in a matter of seconds, with Lynn arriving there first. She bends over, holding her stomach with her hands, trying to control her own laughter.

"You cheated," Uriah rasps, resting his hands on his knees. "But it was fun though."

Lynn wrinkles her nose, grinning at him.

"It's time," says Natalie unexpectedly. She is no longer sitting on the grass but standing now, beside this warm light that has suddenly start to form. Tris can feel the light, its gentleness and its warmth. She's somehow drawn to its elegance. The strong energy she felt from that run as washed away by now and all she feels left is the feeling of the power from the bright, white glow.

"But I just got here," says Uriah. By the look on his face, Tris can see that he's disappointed. She's not ready to go either, she just started getting comfortable with her old friends again and her parents. Why does the light have to take them away now? Why can't they stay longer? Or forever even? But the light feels more powerful than ever before and it's not easy rejecting its magnificent embrace.

The others have moved closer to the light, forming near them, its greatness expanding greatly, readying to take them all to whatever awaits them.

"Still want to go to that alien planet, Uriah?" asks Lynn. She's staring around with her eyes, wide and amazed by the light. She doesn't even sound like she's teasing him, just a voice of utter awe.

Uriah doesn't respond. He's too caught up in staring at the bright, white light that's consuming them whole.

Tris was feeling terrified a moment ago, of leaving behind her family and venturing into the unknown, but now she feels safe. The light makes her feel that way. It's so warm, welcoming, and reassuring, like nothing bad will happen. Everything is serene and perfect. Wherever the light takes her, that's where she'll be happy to go, and hopefully that'll take her to see Tobias again. To see his smile, to have him hold her and kiss her again. It's just a thought. She can still dream, she can still imagine the best that could happen.

Her mother is suddenly beside her, holding her hand. Tris squeezes her mother's hand tightly. Natalie smiles at her warmly. "Be brave, Beatrice," she says in a voice that's tranquil. And Tris lets herself smile as well.

_I am brave. I am invincible. I am Beatrice Prior, and I will be with Tobias again. _And those are Tris's last thoughts as the light finally takes fold, pulling everyone into its magnificent arms.

**(o)(o)(o)**

There is a gentle breeze in the air, caressing the skin of a young girl who sits in a beautiful meadow. Flowers bloom from the earth in many different shades of yellows and blues and purples, surrounding the small figure of the girl. The sun's bright rays make her blonde hair look bright and more gold than ever possible. She appears to be in her late teens – about eighteen or nineteen – but she has the appearance of a much younger girl, with long eyelashes wearing a light colored dress. Her hair is tied in a bun behind her head, because she hates it when it gets in the way when she's working.

Her hand holds a small garden shovel as she digs through the dirt near a row of cosmos. When she's satisfied her hole is deep enough, she inserts the flower seeds, and then buries dirt over it. She waters over her buried seeds with her watering can. A smile appears on her face when she glances around the area. She's glad that she decided to move out here in the wilderness. There are trees everywhere, taking up the forest completely, and other vast vegetation and plant life. Only a few houses linger in a few smaller clearings but not too many to look like a neighborhood. Nature takes up most of the forest.

Her mother didn't agree with her decision on moving out to the forest at first, but she soon came to accept her decision when the girl's older sister agreed to move in with her. She would only stay temporarily until she was able to defend for herself, but she's not sure if she changed her mind or not. Her sister might permanently stay now that she has started to like living amongst the trees. Speaking of living and homes, she hasn't quite visited everyone in the area yet. She met a few nice people who lived near them but not the ones who lived further down. She decided earlier that she'll make the travel today and maybe even bring some baked goods for them, just to show her kindness. Luckily she had many cookies left over from last night that her sister helped her bake.

"Hey!"

The girl turns her head around to see her older sister standing at the back door to their house. "What?" she calls back.

"Are you ready to go?" she asks.

"Yeah!" She stands up and dusts of her knees before carefully making her way over to the house. Her sister holds the door open for her and she walks in. She makes her way over to the kitchen where her brother had already prepared the basket of cookies. Bundles of cookies wrapped in paper were nicely set in the basket, ready for delivering. "Thank you," she says. That was nice of her to do that.

"Yeah, whatever, kid. Let's go," she says but she's smiling. She leads the way toward the front door, holding that door open for little sister too. The blonde girl smiles at her gratefully.

The duo trek through the forest together, following the dirt path that leads to the other houses. The air feels warm out today, a perfect temperature. A nice day to just sit out in the sun and talk or feed the singing birds. Or even go feed the ducks that swim in the lake that's near there. A lot of the people there go to the lake to feed the ducks sometimes and they catch fish there sometimes too to eat or to sell down at the town. It's rare when people fish though and when they do, they do it out of respect as to not upset the spirits of the animals. It's nice to live somewhere where everyone is nice to each other and to nature.

The two sisters visited a few houses. Most of the neighbors greeted them warmly, as expected, and some accepted the offerings and others declined. There are only a few wraps of cookies left when they reach the sixth house of the day. They move up to the doorstep and knock on the wooden door. They wait for a moment, hearing no sounds inside. After a few long moments, the girl decides to knock again.

Minutes later, there still is no answer.

"Looks like no one's home," says the blonde's girl sister. "Let's just go to the next house."

She nods in agreement and they turn to leave. But the front door opens, causing them to halt in their tracks. Standing in the doorway is a man who looks to be in his late late thirties – thirty-five maybe. And he's quite decent looking too, handsome even. Dark hair, a good jawline, and a stern look. He is the most fine looking man she's seen here.

"What do you want?" he asks. With a sour attitude. Not something the girl was expecting.

"Hello," says the older sister cordially. "We just moved in the area a few weeks ago and are introducing ourselves to all of the neighbors. I'm Kheyn Souder and this is my little sister Emogene."

The young man's eyes casts over Kheyn first before landing on Emogene and lingering there for a longer time than normal. His once curt look turns into that of surprise, his eyes turning round. His lips part slightly as if he were about to say something but no words come out. Emogene blinks up at him with wide eyes of her own. They are stuck staring at each other for too long, because her sister clears her throat loudly to get their attention. Instantly the man breaks out of his daze. "Yeah… Welcome," he says awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

The girl blinks quickly, clearing her thoughts.

"So…" Kheyn says slowly. "What's your name?"

He stares at both of them for a moment, but he's more so staring at Emogene. She can't figure out where she's seen him from but she knows it's rude to stare, so she glances down at the basket in her hands instead and fumbles with it nervously. "I'm Tobias Eaton," he says finally. She feels his eyes leave her and she sighs inwardly.

"That's a nice name," says Kheyn. She gives her little sister a light shove with her elbow.

Emogene then remembers. "If you want, we brought cookies," she offers, holding up the basket toward him.

"No," he says curtly.

She swallows. "Okay…" She lowers the basket slowly.

"So, Tobias, how long have you lived here?" Kheyn asks sweetly. "Do you live here all by yourself?"

"No, I'm just out visiting my mother here. This is here house," he replies. "I won't be here much longer, in a few weeks maybe."

Kheyn nods. "That's too bad you won't be staying long. We would've been glad to get to know you more."

"Right." Tobias's eyes flicker on Emogene again. "We haven't met?"

Emogene searches his face, for anything, anything that can bring upon a memory. But there's nothing. "I don't…" she trails away, as a piercing pain hits her head. She bends over abruptly, rubbing her temple.

"What's going on?" Kheyn asks her in concern.

"Is she alright?" Tobias steps forward.

"It's…" Emogene pauses. The pain has gotten worse and images are popping into her head. First a net, then guns, then unrecognizable faces, and then blank. The pain is gone now. She stays bent over for a few moments, expecting to pain to come back. It doesn't though and she sighs through her nose in relief. "I'm fine," she says, standing upright now.

"Maybe we should take you home," Kheyn suggests.

Emogene gives Tobias one last look and says, "Okay."

"It was good meeting you, Tobias!" Kheyn calls over her shoulder.

Even as they walk away, Tobias still stands in the doorway, staring right at her with an unknown look on his face. She continues to look back at him until he is blocked out by the trees. Only then she looks away. She keeps pondering on him even when he's out of her sight now. Those images that popped into her mind are still lingering in her brain, swimming around in search of answers. What did they mean? Places in her mind are places that she has never been to and people she has never even met before. And what did the guns mean? Was it some kind of vision for the future or something else? She was never known to be psychic, so that can't be right.

_Then what…?_

Emogene sighs heavily in frustration, squeezing the rims of the basket tighter. Maybe thinking too hard about it will bring another headache along. She decides to relax her shoulders and stare upward for a moment. She can see the sun peering through the trees' green leaves as they pass by. The sun makes everyone and everything seem brighter with its radiate, flawless light. Such a bright, white light that has gotten so pretty. She looks away shortly, not wanting her eyes to hurt for staring too long. That light is unordinary pretty…and familiar for some reason.

Suddenly she halts, her heart nearly stops. Kheyn pauses too, giving her a questioningly look. She's holding her breath, her body still and completely stiff. And her face is suddenly wet with tears and her bottom lip is quivering without control. Yes… yes… Of course. That bright white light. She remembers that bright white light all too well.

_Yes,_ she thinks. The basket slips from her hands and falls to the dirt, spilling the contents within. Without missing a second, she turns around and runs. _I am brave. I am Dauntless. I am Abnegation. I am Erudite. I am Divergent. I am not Emogene Souder. I am Beatrice Prior and I remember everything…_

**THE END **

* * *

_I wanted to write this after I read Allegiant because I was upset when Tris died so abruptly. Then I decided to write what happens next, because I felt like there had to be more to her story. Hopefully you all enjoyed it. And if you see any mistakes, let me know. I do proofread but I do tend to miss errors. Thanks for reading!_


End file.
